New equipment to help civilians reach fitness goals

  • Published
  • By Kendahl Johnson
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Kirtland's Civilian Health Promotions Services office has a new piece of equipment called Inbody, which uses electricity to help people set health and weight loss goals.

The machine is a scale with eight sensors - two for each hand and foot - that sends a mild current of electricity through the body and provides accurate measurements of weight, muscle mass, percent body fat, total body water and basal metabolic rate. 

"This is a great tool for anyone interested in improving their health and losing weight, and the results are very practical and helpful," said Lawrence Banegas, CHPS coordinator. "It not only provides information on weight, but it breaks it down very clearly how much is muscle and how much is fat. It tells you how much weight in fat you need to lose and how much weight in muscle mass you need to gain."

InBody is a little more convenient than the Bod Pod, the office's other body composition measurement machine, because users don't have to remove their clothing, other than socks and shoes, he said. And Inbody only takes about 60 seconds to get an accurate reading, Banegas said.

"I encourage our civilians take advantage of this and all the services we offer," Banegas said. "Our primary goal is to encourage and help people to continue to do good things for their health." 

The scale is available to all Department of Defense civilians and the testing is free.  To track body composition changes, individuals are encouraged to repeat the test every three months.

Individuals must first register at www.afmcwellness.com and take a health risk assessment to obtain a wellness profile certificate. They can then schedule an appointment to use the scale, or go to CHPS in Building 20228 during scheduled walk in hours. To schedule an appointment or learn more about walk in hours, call 853-0637.